Robbed Hero
by Chrys-DASL
Summary: After thwarting a Saturday morning robbery with coworker Binky, Brain expects they'll both get fanfare in the coming days. But when Binky is conveniently left out of the newspaper story, Brain has a fight on his hands to get his buddy the recognition he deserves. One-shot, Infinite Theme List response. Written 2015. R&R.


**Robbed Hero**

The morning was particularly pleasant. It was a warm sunny Saturday, and all of Elwood City seemed to bustle with an intense, positive energy. Nothing could go wrong today, and errands that seemed too difficult to fathom during the week now seemed pleasant.

Brain and Binky felt the positive influence of such a beautiful morning. They were seventeen and worked together at a local hardware store. Both had received their paychecks on Wednesday, the first of the month, but dreary rain showers with a chance of a wintry mix kept them indoors. The surprising warmer weather sent them both to Elwood City's First National Bank to deposit their checks, keeping out a few dollars for pocket change in case they wanted to go to the movies during the next few weeks.

The bank was very quiet as they stepped inside. It was still early, and most tellers were still idling around the coffee pot discussing their Friday nights. The other workers had yet to arrive, but the bank was open. Binky held the door for a young mother carrying a newborn and her young child, he skipped happily behind her. Brain entered behind them, thanking Binky as the moved to the roped off lines. The tellers cackled before noticing the customers. They quickly left their coffee to tend to them.

But these would not be pleasant transactions.

As Brain began to make small talk, a masked man stormed through the entrance, a large gun drawn. The young mother screamed, clutching both children as they sank to the ground. Binky and Brain raised their hands but remained standing. They exchanged glances: Today was too beautiful to let a scumbag like the gunman ruin it. Besides, they were trained by the hardware store's survivalist owner to combat guys like him. They just needed the right opportunity, so they watched and waited for their chance.

"Get me all of your cash! And NO dye packs!" the thief demanded, tossing the teller a burlap sack. She barely caught it and stumbled slightly, knocking over a coffee mug. It shattered on the floor. The noise rattled the robber, "Hurry up!" he bellowed, pacing the floor. His pacing caused him to turn his back to the seventeen year old's.

Huge. Mistake.

When his gun was surely pointed towards the floor, they struck, tackling him from behind. Binky's bulky, strong frame weighed him down while Brain snagged one of the velvet ropes. He wrapped the man's hands and feet after pushing the gun away.

Within moments, officers arrived. The scene was chaotic as the perpetrator was arrested and witness statements were taken outside the building. The young mother, too shaken to speak without stuttering or repeating herself, was the first to leave with her children. Then the tellers went inside to see what they could clean up after the event. The boys, the heroes, were the last to leave the parking lot. When the cops were done taking their statements and thanking them, a young reporter met with them for their story.

Their heroic feats would be documented by this reporter and plastered on the front page of the local paper. But one key element, specifically one key person, would be left out and forgotten: Binky Barnes.

"Mom, how do I report a mistake to the paper? They didn't include Binky in our story at all!" Brain exclaimed. His mother was concerned as well. She wondered if he misread the piece in his excitement to see his own name in print.

But he was right.

"Well, son, there's the editor's phone number. You should call...Bitzi Baxter. Wait, that's Buster's mother. She'll surely be able to help you."

He waited until Monday to call, and when Brain dialed her number, she answered in two rings. Like Brain, she was immediately upset. She'd checked the story herself Saturday afternoon. Binky was applauded alongside Brain in the version she saw, both of them receiving an equal number of quotes for their equal participation.

"We'll sort this out, Brain," she promised. "I'll email you everything I find out. You just go to school and leave everything to me," she assured him. Brain believed her, but he knew how his school day would go, and he was—as always—right.

Brain almost needed a body guard to get through Elwood City High's hallways. Everyone had heard and wanted to know what happened from the hero himself. Brain tried desperately to set the record straight as the stoic Binky watched the action unfold, but neither could get a word in over everyone's excited cries. It took an administrator to break up the commotion, silencing the group and forcing everyone to their classes.

Throughout the next few days, this activity continued, and though Brain was in communication with the paper, nothing could be done. This was something over Bitzi's head, she told him, something the owner himself was doing. Brain was unhappy as both Hero B and editor were unable to solve the problem. And varied schedules kept him from seeing Binky to get his side of the fiasco.

But midweek, they finally got a shift together. After hauling heavy plywood to a customer's vehicle, the two stood together at the store's paint counter. After a long bout of silence, Brain finally asked Binky about the situation.

Binky sighed, "Yeah, Francine told me you were upset. She heard you asking the librarian about what you could do for me, but you can't do anything. I did it to myself."

"How? You're a good kid, Binky. You deserve the credit just as much as I do. I'm being invited to award ceremonies and offered gifts, but until we stand side by side, I'll accept nothing from anyone."

"That's your loss, Brain," Binky muttered, trying to busy himself with another task. Brain followed him. He wouldn't back down, and Binky decided that he had to come clean, "Look, I stole something from this guy's house. I was twelve. Rattles and I were raking his yard, and he was being a real pain to us, so we stole his garden gnome. We gave it back, and I even wrote an apology letter, but he was just an ass. He had power and he knew how to use it. He still does. If he doesn't own the paper himself, he knows who does. I can't compete with that, so I didn't."

"We can fight him. Come on, please. I can get more people on board. You're one of the nicest guys in this whole town. I mean, who else would tackle an armed gunman? You're the true hero, not me."

"You won't be able to prove that to him," Binky said, moving to help a customer. Brain grinned, accepting his statement as a challenge.

Bitzi's office was quiet compared to the bustling newsroom outside. Brain sat down as a distressed Bitzi returned to the room from outside. Her office door shut out the noise outside as she collapsed into her chair. She eyed Brain with a very distressed look.

"I just found out what's going on, and I'm really happy you came forward about Binky," she said, sliding a file folder towards him. A newspaper from a few years before was folded up inside. On the front page of the paper was Binky's yearbook picture from that year. Bitzi explained the situation as Brain skimmed the story, "Binky was seen near a home not long after a break-in. All of the evidence was circumstantial, but they brought him in anyway. That minor incident didn't do much to help, but he eventually won his argument. The real culprits were found a day later, but to admit they had really committed a crime would mean going back on a headline," Bitzi said. Brain nodded; he understood the paper's executives liking honesty.

"But that shouldn't matter now. It's been years, and Binky deserves recognition for his good deeds," Brain countered.

Bitzi nodded, "I fully agree, but my hands are tied. You'll have to fight this one on your own," she winked, accepting the paper back from Brain. "I was thinking you should send him your statement, your demands. Either he recognizes Binky equally or you'll make him regret his decision."

"We can start with letters from our classmates, then, if he still won't change his mind, we can get people to boycott the paper. Binky and I should have enough allies combined to make a difference in sales," Brain said excitedly.

Bitzi smirked, "I knew this meeting would be beneficial. Do whatever you to do, but if anyone questions you about this meeting, I was congratulating my son's friend on a job well done," she winked. Binky nodded in agreement. The two shook hands, then Brain exited the paper office to begin his plan.

He started with his letter. It took several drafts to complete, but shortly before midnight that night, he emailed it to the paper's owner. As expected, he didn't reply until late the next afternoon. His response was appalling, but it gave Brain the ammo he needed.

Brain forwarded the message to his contacts—all of them. His mother and father did the same. Then Francine and Arthur and dozens of others from school did the same, as did their parents and many of their contacts. Within an hour, over two hundred people had received the email...and subscribers cancelled their subscriptions. The others vowed to never purchase another edition until the situation was corrected and he apologized. How did he know about these demands? Editorials flooded the newspaper's submission accounts online, and within days, their mailboxes began to fill up as well.

Elwood City reacted, and with the possibility of financial ruin hovering over him, the newspaper's owner had no choice but to back track. Binky Barnes never committed any serious robberies as a teen, and his one offense was a corrected mistake. Most of all, he was the muscle that really saved the day during the robbery.

The following week, the boys were commended by the mayor and other local leaders for their heroic actions. The incidents before the ceremony were forgotten by Binky as he received a small trophy for his good deeds. The misunderstood teen was now used to prejudice, but luckily his friends weren't, and they vowed to stick beside him. His neighbors did the same, and their efforts paid off. This was Binky's ceremony, a redemption ceremony, and both he and Brain had never been happier.

~End

A/N: Theme from my Infinite Arthur Theme List Challenge. For more info, send me a message.


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